Former first lady Melania Trump has been showing signs of being somewhat checked out of politics
for quite a while now, with reports citing that she's been noticeably absent from many
events as of late.
There have been quite a few signs that show Melania's perceived desire to leave the White
House.
In a recent interview with the new first daughter, Ashley Biden was asked if her mother, Jill,
had received any correspondence from Melania regarding the traditional protocols between
transitioning first ladies.
Ashley responded,
"No.
I don't think they're doing the traditional protocol which is unfortunate."
In addition, the start of the 2020 holiday season for Melania wasn't especially merry
and bright.
Secretly recorded audio from an interview heard her talking negatively about the tradition
of the first lady's job at Christmas.
"Who gives a f--- about Christmas stuff and decoration?
But I need to do it, right?"
Melania seems to be in quite an ambivalent state.
A source recently told Vanity Fair,
"She just isn't in a place mentally or emotionally any more where she wants to get involved."
But now she appears to be so checked out that she's allegedly asking her assistants and
other staff members to complete some of her first lady duties for her, making a peaceful
transition of power a little less pleasant.
A pivotal duty of the first lady before she leaves the White House is addressing and thanking
her staff for their four years of work — but it would appear that Melania wasn't interested
in participating in this special tradition.
According to a recent report by CNN, she refused to write thank-you notes to her White House
staff, who have cared for her and her family all throughout Donald's four years as president.
Roughly 80 staff members were given typed notes, which were composed by Melania's lower-level
East Wing assistant and signed by the first lady.
The staff allegedly had genuinely believed Melania wrote the letters until learning otherwise.
It's customary for presidents and first ladies leaving the White House to address their staff
and write thank-you notes to butlers, cooks, housekeepers, maintenance workers, but Melania
decided to put the responsibility on other people who worked for them.
The thank-you notes traditionally detail sentimental moments, personal anecdotes, and special memories
between White House staff and family living there.
One can only speculate as to why Melania wasn't keen on writing these notes.
Behavior like this, however, may be a reason why she has the lowest approval rating of
any first lady, sitting at just 47 percent as she leaves the White House for good, according
to Hollywood Life.
According to CNN, Melania allegedly "just wants to go home," and isn't exactly sad to
be leaving the White House — despite her recent farewell address in which she claims
the past four years have been "unforgettable."
While Melania has always been a relatively quiet first lady, in the months since the
election in which her husband wasn't re-elected, she's been especially absent.
Since November, she has only been present for a handful of events, including the turkey
pardoning, the arrival of the White House Christmas trees, the annual Toys for Tots
event, a story-reading at the nearby Children's Hospital, and a December rally in Georgia.
But her absence from events certainly didn't stop the first lady from joining her husband
in perpetuating the conspiracy theory that he has won the election instead of Joe Biden,
who was sworn in on January 20th.
Sources say that once the likelihood of Donald being re-elected began to dissipate, Melania
found herself in a "state of shock," and she pivoted her attention to life post-White House,
according to The New York Times.
Perhaps this state of mind is why Melania refused to give the new first lady Jill Biden
a tour of the White House, a more than 100 year-old tradition between the transitioning
of first ladies.
Sources say that the Bidens will instead be greeted by a White House appointed usher,
according to the Independent.
But if what Ashley Biden said about Melania's cold-shoulder greeting is true, it's probably
safe to assume the Biden clan isn't all that upset about it.
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